Taking a Stab at Fencing, the ‘Physical Chess’ of the Olympics

Sada Jacobson Bâby was a member of the 2004 and 2008 United States Olympic Fencing Teams, where she won three medals. She is now an attorney practicing in Atlanta, Georgia.

Fencing is a graceful sport steeped in history, one practiced for millennia, honed during the Renaissance and featured in every modern Olympiad. But the first thing you need to know is fencing isn’t one sport, but three: foil, epee and saber.

To the untrained eye, they all look the same — guys in odd suits waving swords and shouting “Touché!” But each discipline has unique skills, equipment and tactics that make them as different as the 100 meters and 10,000 meters in track. Despite the differences, they all combine the physical conditioning of gymnastics with the grace of ballet and the mental agility of chess in a sport far more complex and nuanced than you might think watching The Three Musketeers.

Still, it helps to have a passion for stabbing people. And a passport.

But lets start with the weapons. And they are weapons. Not swords. Never call them swords. The foil, the epee and the saber differ in their grips, guards and blades, and each is used for a specific discipline.

The foil and epee are point weapons — you can only score a point, or “touch,” by hitting your opponent with the point. In contrast, the saber (my specialty) is a cutting weapon. You can score with both the edge and the point.

The target area varies with the weapon. Anything is fair game in epee. In foil, only hits to the torso count. In a nod to history, saber’s target area includes everything above the waist. Fencing rules are old-school — the sport was born in the 15th or 16th century — and the saber originally was a cavalry weapon. It was bad form to injure an opponent’s horse, so the legs are off-limits in fencing, even though there’s no horse.

The disciplines also differ significantly in their pacing and timing. Because it’s so easy to land a touch in saber (but not necessarily to score a point – more on that in a moment), bouts have a much faster pace and more aggressive style. Each touch lasts only a few seconds and often consists of only one premeditated action. Epee, on the other hand, is a more careful, improvisational discipline; the fencers dance around for a long time looking for an opening. When an opportunity presents itself, touches are made in the blink of an eye.

The most difficult rule to explain to first-time spectator, though, is “right-of-way.” It helps to think of it like the right-of-way rule of driving, which determines who has priority on the road. In foil and saber, right-of-way gives one person, called the attacker, scoring priority. Fencing is a fast sport and the attack can change hands several times over the course of a point, so to identify the attacker, look for the person who’s moving forward at the end of the touch. It isn’t foolproof, but it will give you a rough idea. If you find yourself getting lost, watch the referee. He’ll signal the attack with a downward move of the hand.

Further mixing things up, epee has no right-of-way rules. If two fencers hit simultaneously, both score. This is one reason epee bouts take more time. Whereas a saber bout is over in about 10 minutes, an epee bout can top 20. Epeeists need to find exactly the right moment to hit without being hit in return.

By the way, “touché!” isn’t a cliché. Fencers usually acknowledge a clear point against them by saying it. A fencer also might hold up an index finger or signal to the ref with her weapon. It’s considered good form and builds credibility with the ref. You might also see a lot of yelling as fencers try to convince the referee they won a contested point. Despite strict rules of etiquette that, among other things, require fencers to salute and shake hands, this is not a breach of sportsmanship.

As you can see, fencing rules get complicated quickly. For this reason, most high-level fencers specialize. There’s a lot of variety within each discipline, which adds to the complexity and nuance of the sport. There are no weight classes and no dominant “type,” so elite fencers must be prepared to compete against opponents of widely divergent physiques and skill sets.

What does it take to reach the top level of this sport, aside from a passion for stabbing people? Well, training, for one. Speed, agility and explosiveness are the most important physical skills. Most fencers have daily cardio, agility and strength cross-training workouts in addition to fencing drills. Even more important than athleticism, however, is the ability to stay a step or two ahead of your opponent strategically. Fencing requires a sharp mind and is so heavily dominated by strategic and psychological tactics that it is affectionately called “physical chess.”

Fencers hone their mental game with intense one-on-one drills and lessons, running through countless technical and tactical scenarios. Although all fencers learn the same basic building blocks of fencing, called “actions,” the true art of the sport is in putting these actions together strategically. Fencers need a strong game plan going into each bout, but must also be able to change course at a moment’s notice and improvise if things don’t go as planned. To train for this, coaches will film sessions and bouts, much like football, and review them in minute detail, especially when preparing for competition against specific opponents and for events like the 2012 Summer Games. The bulk of training, though, consists of endless sparring against teammates, both men and women.

It takes more than countless hours in the gym to be a great fencer, though. You also must endure traveling around the world pursuing your passion. High-level fencers travel. A lot. Beyond the countless domestic competitions throughout the season, athletes qualify for National and Olympic Teams based on their results at international World Cup competitions. Members of a national team will compete in 10 or more international competitions annually, from Havana to Hanoi to Hungary.

Despite the jet-setting life of an elite fencer and the sport’s popularity in Europe, the sport is relatively unknown in the United States. You rarely see it televised outside of the Olympics, and it infrequently makes the news. That’s a shame, because the U.S. squad is, frankly, a powerhouse. For the first time in decades, the Americans are a serious threat to the Italians, French and Russians, who have long dominated the sport. The United States has quietly and consistently built on its success in Beijing, where it won six medals, and has a real shot to medal in all three disciplines in London. Mariel Zagunis leads the way for Team USA; look for her to three-peat after winning gold in 2004 and 2008.

To win, Zagunis and her teammates will have to beat their opponents in a single-elimination format that’s seeded based on international rankings. It’s like March Madness, packed into one intense day. They’ll be fencing 15-touch bouts until only four remain to fight for the greatest prize in our sport: Olympic gold.